Engine.



T. E. STURTEVANT.

ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 5, 1912.

PiLtGIltCd OCT). 31, 1916.

2 swans-swan 1 ATTORNEY T. E. STURTEVANT.

ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 5, 1912.

Patented Oct. 31, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- INVE/VMR fi w ATTORNEY WITNESSES a M THOMAS E.STURTEVANT, OF DOVER, NEW JERSEY.

ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Uct. 31, 121 6.

Application filed September 5, 1912. Serial No. 718,619.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS E. STURTE- VANT, a citizen of the UnitedStates of America, and a resident ofDover, county of Morris, and Stateof New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inEngines, of which the following is a specification, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

ll ly invention relates to direct acting engines which are operated bycompressed air, steam, or other motive fluids and are particularlyadapted for operating rock drills and other similar apparatus.

The object of my invention is to provide a relatively simple and compactengine of. the character above specified that shall be relatively easyto assemble and inexpensive to manufacture and that shall embody apositively acting valve for controlling the action of the main piston.

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings is a sectional elevation, in acentral longitudinal. plane, of an engine constructed in accordance withmy invention. Figs. 2, 3 and at are transverse sectional elevations onthe lines 22, 33 and 4c4.- of Fig. 1. Fig. '5 is a sectional plan viewon the line 55 of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view corresponding tothe central section of Fig. 5 with the valve removed. Fig. 7 is an endelevation of the cylinder casting with the cylinder heads removed andFigs. 8 and 9 are detail perspective views of the valve.

Like characters of reference designate corresponding parts in all of thefigures.

The device here shown comprises a casting 10 having substantiallyparallel cylindrical openings 1,1 and 12 extending longitudinallythrough it, a main piston 13, a cylindrical valve member 1%, a tappetblock 15 supporting tappets 16 and 17 and cylinder heads 18 and 19.

The casting 10 is provided with a central slot 20 which is open at thetop and is adapted to receive the tappet block 15. It is also providedwith ports 21 and 22 which provide communications between thecorresponding ends of the cylindrical openings 1.1 and 12, andlongitudinal passages 23, and 2st located one on each side of thecylindrical opening 12.

Each of the cylinder heads is provided with a transverse passage 25 anda boss projection 26 which has a tapped hole 27 to receive a pipeconnection. The heads are secured to the casting 10 by bolts 30, or bysome other suitable means, and when they are in position the transversepassages 25 communicate respectively with the longitudinal passages 23and 2 The cylindrical valve member 1-1 is composed of an intermediatesection 35 which is shown in perspective in Fig. 9 and a pair ofinterchangeable end sections 36 and 37 one of which is shown inperspective in Fig. 8. The intermediate section fits into a concavecylindri'cally curved surface 37 of the tappet block 20 and is groovedto produce a tipped over Qshaped section as shown in Fig. 2 of thedrawings. Each of the end sections 36and 37 is provided with a pair ofslots -10 and 41, which serve to establish communication between themain cylinder and the one or the other of the longitudinal passages 23and 21 as hereinafter more fully pointed out. The slots 10 and .1-1communicate with each other through transverse openings 43 in the valvesection and are so located that the two sections may be interchangeable,both of the grooves being active at one end of the cylinder and only onebeing active at the opposite end.

The tappet block 15 is provided with inclined slots 45 and 4-6 in whichthe tappets 16 and 17 are respectively located.

The main piston 13 has the usual rod 50,

and is divided into a pair of similar piston heads 51 and 52, which areconnected by a rod or bar 53 of reduced section. The adjacent edges ofthe piston heads 51 and 52 are beveled and constitute cam surfaces whichrespectively actuate the tappets 16 and 17 as the piston approaches oneor the other of its extreme positions. The ends of the tappets arebeveled at their corners to correspond and cooperate with the bevelededges of the piston heads, both ends being correspondingly out in orderto make them reversible and interchangeable. 3

As clearly shown in Fig. 2, the ends of the tappets, which are remotefrom the piston, engage the intermediate section of the cylindricalvalve member, the arrangement of parts being such that when one tappetis forced outwardly by engaging one of the piston heads, the valvemember is oscillated in one direction, and is oscillated in the oppositedirection when the other tappet is actuated by the opposite piston head.

The slot or opening 20 in the casting 10 is closed, when the tappetblock 15 and the valve members are in position, by a cap 42 which has acylindrically curved bottom surface to engage the valve section 35.

The three sections of the cylinder valve member operate together as aunit and may be operatively connected in any suitable manner. As shownin the drawings the intermediate section is provided with key slots 60and 61 at its respective ends which are engaged by key projections 62and 63 of the end sections 36 and 87. The valve members may thus bereadily disassembled. When the cylindrical valve member is assembled inthe cylindrical opening or cylinder 12, the adjacent ends of thepassages 21 and are opposite the slots 40 and 41 of the respective endsections of the cylindrical valve member.

Apair of gates or passages 65 and 66 are provided near one end of thecasting 10 between the passages 23 and 24 and the cylindrical opening 12in which the valve member is located. These gates are opposite the slots40 and 41 of the valve sections 36. Another pair of gates or passages 67and 68 are provided near the other end of the casting 10 and formcommunications between the passages 23 and 24 and the cylindricalopening 12 adjacent to the slots 40 and 41 of the valve section 37.

The sectional view of Fig. 3 clearly indicates the position of thepassages 65 and 66 and their relation to the slots 40 and 41 in thevalve section 86, and the sectional view of Fig. 4 indicates theposition of the gates 62 and 63 relative to the slots 40 and 41 in thevalve section 37.

The casting is provided with a hollow boss or bracket 7 O by which theengine may be adj ustably supported.

Special attention is directed to the fact that the cylinder heads 18 and19 are interchangeable end for end, that the tappet block 7 15 isreversible and the tappets are both reversible and interchangeable so asto preclude the possibility of their being improperly assembled in theengine, and that the end sections of the cylindrical valve member areinterchangeable. By thus reducing the number of different parts, and soforming them as to make it practically impossible to improperly assemblethem, the engine may be manufactured in large quantities at a relativelylow cost, and may be taken apart and reassembled by the unskilledmechanics who usually make use of this kind of-a machine.

The operation of the engine is as follows I Assuming that the partsoccupy the positions in which they are illustrated and that the passages23 and 24 are respectively connected to an exhaust chamber or to theatmosphere, and to a source of compressed air,

(not shown) through a pipe 80, the transverse passage 25 of the head 18,the passage 24, the gate 61, the grooves 40 and 41, which are joined bythe transverse passage 43, and the passage 22 to one end of the maincylinder 11. Communication is also established from the opposite end ofthe cylinder 11 through the passage 21, the groove 41, the gate 62, thepassage 23, the transverse passage 25, of the head 19, and a pipe 82 tothe atmosphere. The motive fluid is thus admitted under pressure at oneend of the cylinder while the opposite end is connected to exhaust.Consequently the piston 13 and the drill or whatever is connected to therod 50 will be moved until the piston occupies its opposite extremeposition. In moving from the position in which it is shown in Fig. 1 toits opposite extreme position, the tappet 17 is moved outwardly andproduces a rotative adjustment of the cylindrical valve member, byreason of the engagement of the lower endof the tappet with the camsurface of the piston head 52 as hereinbefore pointed out.

The arrangement of parts is evidently such that the tappet 16 ispermitted to move in wardly into a position corresponding to that of thetappet 17 as shown in Fig. 1 when the tappet 17 is actuated.

The grooves 40, 41 and 42 and the gates 60, 61 and 62 and 63 are soplaced relative to the adjustment of the cylindrical valve member, thatthe end of the main cylinder, which was connected to the exhaust passage23, is connected to the supply passage 24, while the opposite end of thecylinder is connected to the exhaust passage 23. The opposite ends ofthe cylinders are thus alternately connected to the source of motivefluid and to exhaust, and a reciprocatory movement is imparted to thepiston and to whatever is connected to it. Attention is directed to thefact that this reciprocatory motion of the piston produces anoscillatory motion of the cylindrical valve member. This mechanicalmechanism is believed to be broadly new and I desire not to be limitedto any particular embodiment of my invention.

What I claim is;

1. The combination with a reciprocatory member, an oscillatory membersubstantially parallel to the direction of motion of the reciprocatorymember and interposed interchangeable and reversible tappets actuated bythe reciprocatory member and adapted to oscillate the oscillatorymember.

2. The combination with a main cylinder, provided with ports, a pistontherein, a valve cylinder provided with ports arranged to be connectedwith the main cylinder ports, a controlling valve in the valve cylindercomprising an intermediate member and a pair of interchangeable endmembers, of mechanism actuated by a longitudinal movement of the mainpiston to produce a rotative adjustment of the valve.

3. The combination with a main cylinder provided with ports, a valvecylinder associated therewith, a main piston and a cylindrical valvemember, of a plurality of detached reversible tappets acting directly onthe valve member and actuated by the piston to produce an oscillation ofthe valve me1nber.

l. The combination with a main cylinder provided with ports, a valvecylinder substantially parallel and associated therewith,

a main piston and a cylindrical valve member, of a t-appet block locatedbetween the main piston and the valve member, a pair of detachedreversible tappets associated with said block and actuated directly andalternately by the main piston as it is reciprocated, to produce anoscillation of the valve member.

5. The combination with a body having a pair of substantially parallelcylindrical openings respectively constituting a main cylinder and avalve cylinder, and longitudinal passages located one on each side ofthe valve cylinder, and interchangeable heads secured to the body toclose the cylindrical openings, of a main piston adapted to reciprocatein the main cylinder, a valve member adapted to oscillate in the valvecylinder and comprising an intermediate member and a pair ofinterchangeable end members, and means dependent upon a reciprocatorymovement of the piston to produce an oscillatory movement of the valvemember.

6. The combination with a body having a (topics of this patent may beobtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

pair of substantially parallel cylindrical openings respectivelyconstituting a main cylinder and a valve cylinder and longitudinalpassages located one on each side of the valve cylinder, andinterchangeable heads secured to the body to close the cylindricalopenings, of a main piston adapted to reciprocate in the main cylinder,a valve mem ber adapted to oscillate in the valve cylinder andcomprising an intermediate member and a pair of interchangeable endmembers, and a plurality of tappets acting directly upon the valvemember and actuated directly by the piston at opposite ends of itstravel.

7. The combination with a body having a pair or" substantially parallelcylindrical openings respectively constituting a main cylinder and avalve cylinder and longitudinal passages located one on each side of thevalve cylinder and interchangeable heads secured to the body toclose'the cylindrical openings, of a main piston adapted to reciprocatein the main cylinder, a valve member adapted to oscillate in the valvecylinder and comprising an intermediate member and a pair ofinterchangeable end members, a tappet block set in the body between thetwo cylinders, and tappets sliding in grooves in the tappet block andalternately actuated by the piston to reciprocate the valve member.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this l day of September,in the year THOMAS E. STURTEVANT. Witnesses F. GRAVES, R. J. DEARBORN.

Washington, D. G.

